Embrace Your Southern Sayings

Idiom: language particular to a people
or a district, community or class.

Merriam-Webster
dictionary

Every
region has its sayings, and North Carolina has plenty of colorful ones that pepper
the speech of native southerners.

If
you’re a native North Carolinian, you may have found yourself saying some of
the phrases below (meanings are in parentheses for those of you reading who
aren’t familiar with these)

Don’t count
your chickens before they hatch. (Don’t count on something that’s not a sure
thing.)

He’s beside
himself. (He’s frustrated.)

I’m fixin’ to
go to the meeting. (I’m getting ready to go to the meeting.)

That girl is
too big for her britches. (That girl thinks highly of herself.)

My bread basket
is stuffed. (My stomach is full.)

Many
of us were taught in school to try to avoid clichés or idioms in our speech. The
reason behind that line of teaching comes from the fact that idioms use words
or phrases in a way that when taken literally the meaning is different than the
concept you’re trying to get across, or the words might even sound nonsensical.
For example, with “he’s beside himself,” a literal translation makes it sounds
ridiculous, because it’s impossible for a person to be in two places at once. When
you refer to a person as too big for their britches, a person might interpret
that to mean they outgrew their clothes, when what you really mean is they’re
egotistical.

As a corporate speech trainer and speech pathologist, my world centers around helping people communicate. The goal of language is to communicate with others in a way that can be easily understood. While I understand the reason school teachers encourage students to avoid using idioms, I also happen to love idioms. These sayings are what help make our speech interesting. They add flavor to our conversations, just like salt and pepper add flavor to our meals.

Idioms
not only add spice to our speech, they also help identify us in our culture and
heritage. Just as the idioms listed above are heard in the South, there are
phrases and words used in other parts of the country that native Southerners
might not be familiar with. Our idioms bring us together as a community, and
serve as a source of pride in our heritage.

Don’t
delete idioms from your speech. Go ahead and use them, but use the following
advice to make sure when you’re talking that you’re also being understood.

1. Be aware of idioms in your speech. Understandably, we might not always be aware that something we say is an idiom and might not be common knowledge for our audience. Take some time to study traditional southern idioms and become aware of when you’re using them in your own speech.

2.
Explain yourself to your audience. While it’s perfectly fine to use a saying
such as “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” in a business
conversation, you should to take a moment to explain what it means to make sure
your audience understands the underlying meaning and doesn’t get caught up in
the literal words.

The
goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page. (And I’m not talking about
reading a book!)

For
more help recognizing the idioms in your own speech and learning how to use
them well and communicate more effectively, contact me at Triad Speech
Consultants. I can set up private consultations to listen to your speech and
raise your awareness to help you become a more effective communicator.